Description
During the centrifugation of the BD Vacutainer® SST II Advance Tubes, an inert gel separates the serum and the blood clot preventing the contamination of the serum from the separated cellular components. For example, the serum for certain analytes such as potassium, phosphorus and glucose must be separated from the cells within a few hours – otherwise the results will be significantly distorted. Using BD SST II Advance Tubes routine analytes in clinical chemistry such as potassium and glucose are still stable
after a week of storage at 2-8ºC. Clinical evaluation of special chemistries such as therapeutic drugs, proteins, peptides, steroids and vitamins demonstrates a high degree of stability with the acrylic gel in the BD SST II Advance Tubes
As a result of the type of gel used in the BD Vacutainer® SST II Advance Tubes, short centrifugation times of 5 minutes at 3000 g can be achieved. The stability of the gel barrier is a distinct advantage during transport and storage.
The main advantages of gel tubes versus non-gel tubes are:
- Stable barrier between serum and clotted blood, therefore better analyte stability.
- Better sample quality.
- Optimisation of the work flow: Short centrifugation time, sample processing and archiving in the primary tube.
- No possibility of misidentification due to the use of secondary tubes.
Clotting times
The minimum recommended coagulation time for BD Vacutainer® SST II Advance Tubes for patients who have not received anti-coagulation treatment is 30 minutes.
Centrifugation conditions:
1300-2000 g for 10 minutes or alternatively, for 5 minutes at 18-25°C
Effects of temperature
BD Vacutainer® SST II Advance Tubes should be stored at 4-25°C and protected from direct sunlight during storage. Cooling of the tube by or during centrifuging can affect the movement capability of the gel. The optimum separation of serum and coagulated blood is achieved at a temperature of 20-25°C.
Clot activator
BD Vacutainer® SST II Advance Tubes contain silica particles.
